Abstract EN:

To deal with collective protest in Madagascar supposes to open and enlarge the field of the areas studies andl reconsider the validity of the pre-existing theoretical tools of the sociology of social movements which aim to encompass and explain the social components and interactions that characterize industrially developed countries. Taking into account the concepts that sustain the sociology of social movements, this analysis helps to comprehend and explain a particular protest movement confronting a political system so repressive that its eventual success seemed very dubious. Our aim was to grasp and define the constituents of the emergence, growth and impetus of the "Hery Velona" movement ("Vital Forces Movement") within the context of an authoritarian system. The first part consists of an historical survey of the political, economical and social life of Madagascar, from the times of the Independence to the 1991 crisis, explaining the background of the formation of the "Hery Velona" movement. Then, taking into account the organizational approach, the importance of the mobilization organizers that were previously active, as well as the various forms of their endeavours are detailed (2nd Part). Last but not least, it is attempted to characterize the components of the actors of the mobilization and their motivations; within this mainframe, a particular attention is devoted to the influence of the Churches considered both as organizing bodies and leaders influencing the perception, representation, and affirmative cohesion of the actors themselves.